Leidias Family
The Leidias Family has a Jedi history that spans back near to the start of the Jedi Order. Their lineage is one that has been consistently strong in the Force and notable for never having a family member turn to the Dark Side. Leidias Jedi have participated in some of the major events in history and helped the Jedi Order defeat some of their biggest threats. =Traditions= The Leidias family is one that has traditions that span the ages. The "Kalja" Name The name "Kalja" is very important to the Leidias family. It has been passed down to the firstborn daughter of every Leidias family for longer than anybody can remember. There are many stories of Kaljas throughout history being shining examples of Jedi, however the identity of the Kalja who was first honored is lost to time. When speaking of more than one Kalja, it has become a common practice to speak their first and middle names to differentiate them (i.e. Kalja Sairu, or Kalja Valie). Keeping the Maiden Name Leidias women very rarely follow the standard tradition of taking on the last name of their husbands since it conflicts with a long-held family tradition of keeping their last name. The origins behind this remain murky, but family legend states that it was something that the first Kalja did. Much like the tradition of subsequent generations naming their first-born daughter after her, this is thought to be another way to emulate the legendary ancestor, even though all Leidias women tend to do it and not just those named Kalja. This can sometimes cause headaches when it comes to which name the children from such a relationship should take. Various solutions have been developed over the generations: *The children simply retain either one name or the other *The children use a hyphenated version of the two names together *One of the last names will become the middle name for the child *The names will be split along gender lines, with the daughters keeping the mother’s last name and the sons keeping the father’s. While any solution is considered acceptable, an additional rule that goes along with this tradition is followed very closely. Specifically: any Kalja must use Leidias as the last name. Family Training With a few exceptions, it was a Leidias custom to never take a Padawan outside of the family. Their belief was that the family ties form a bond much stronger than anything that can be created from what was the much more common practice of matching two strangers together. It was this bond, they felt, that created an extra safeguard against falling to the Dark Side. However, this custom was weakened significantly after the Darksider, Sivter, killed all but two members of the Leidias family around the time of the Galactic Civil War. Later, Kalja Sairu Leidias essentially did away with the tradition after rejoining the Jedi Order, taking on several students with no relation to her. Her father, although a much stricter observer of family tradition, also ended up training non-family members in times of crisis. The tradition has since been modified to read that all family members are trained by family, but others may be instructed as well. The Family Crest The Leidias Family Crest is a symbol that has stayed with the generations of Leidias members despite its origin and purpose having faded with history. It remains an important part of their legacy and can usually be found adorning many important possessions or family locations. A common practice is to have the crest adorning a lightsaber hilt. The crest became even more important to the family after they abdicated from the Jedi Order following the Ruusan Reformation. It was a symbol of their refusal to bow to the Jedi Order's new decrees about not raising families or having relationships. =Known Family Tree= KEY B''': Date of Birth '''D: Date of Death (A): Adopted Great Sith War (c. 4,000 BBY) Seven Battles of Ruusan (c. 1,000 BBY) Exodus Timeline (Current Day) =History= ]]It is unknown exactly how long the Leidias family have been a fixture of the Jedi Order, but there are records that have been kept within the family that date back to the Great Hyperspace War nearly 5,000 years before the Battle of Yavin. There are indications that their ties to the Order go back even further, but any substantial proof of that has so far been lost to time. Likewise, the planet of origin for the family remains unknown, although there are several clues in ancient family writings (including the meditation chant) that it was Chandrila. What is known is that since the Great Hyperspace War members of the Leidias family were a steady and reliable presence in the Jedi Order. In the many trying times ahead for the Jedi, Leidiases could be counted on to faithfully fight against all threats to the Jedi and the galaxy at large. One of the more notorious members of the family, Kalja Valie Leidias, was the embodiment of this ideal. She fearlessly went after the Sith during the Great Sith War, helping to thwart several major schemes cooked up by the Darksiders and even gave up her life to keep Exar Kun’s armies from growing even stronger. The faithfulness of the Leidias family would be tested for the first time during the Mandalorian Wars as Kalja Valie’s youngest sister, Lanlia, disobeyed the wishes of the Jedi Council and her family as she left with Revan and Malak to help the Republic fight the Mandalorians; hoping to live up to her older sister’s example. Only once the conflict was over, and after it was clear Revan and Malak had fallen to the Dark Side, did Lanlia return to the Jedi Order proper and help to fight against her former comrades in the Jedi Civil War. Their second test of faithfulness would prove to be too much for the tradition-bound family. After the Jedi Council decreed that Jedi were forbidden to have relationships or families following the Ruusan Reformation, Korsur Leidias made several impassioned debates to the Council to change their mind over the matter, but it was for naught. Seeing that his efforts were fruitless and unwilling to accept the decree, Korsur soon made the official decision for the Leidiases to abdicate from the Order until such time as the ban on families and relationships was lifted. This departure helped to save the Leidias line from extinction during the Jedi Purge. By then, the Leidias name was known only in the Jedi archives and assumed by many to have faded into obscurity over the course of time. However, thanks to family tradition, the ways of the Jedi were alive and well within the Leidias line. Although they didn’t have the official blessing of the Jedi Council, they still trained their members in the ways of the Jedi and served the galaxy in their own way. They would remain distanced from the Jedi until after Luke Skywalker reformed the Order. Kalja Sairu Leidias would be the one to lead the way towards patching things up with the Order. Over time, their forced departure had become a sore spot for many Leidiases, including Kalja’s own father, Tulsar. After an encounter with Jedi Master Devon Vos, Kalja broke from tradition and agreed to help teach at Devon’s praxeum. Soon afterwards she agreed to take a position on the newly formed Jedi Council, officially ending the long absence of the Leidias line from the Order. Category:HalomekCategory:Jedi OrderCategory:FamiliesCategory:Leidias Family